N.S. needs a government that cares

To the editor: Could someone please put an end to the wild and erratic behaviour that the Liberals continue to show towards Nova Scotia’s forest industry?

The forest industry is an enormous part of Nova Scotia’s economy and we are on the brink of losing it. Wood supply will dry up after road closures; sawmills are barely holding on and will close; landowners don’t want their wood cut because its value has been dramatically reduced since Dec. 20 (the date when Premier Stephen Mcneil announced the Boat Harbour Act would be enforced); and contractors are leaving pulpwood on the ground and along roadsides because it is virtually worthless.

The Liberals knew they were going to shut down Northern Pulp and it’s obvious they don’t want the company to operate in Nova Scotia. How else can anyone explain having seven environmental studies increased to 68? That’s over a 900-per-cent increase in studies to an already unrealistic deadline. How is this even allowed?

The government has shown no interest in wanting to keep Northern Pulp, which would enable Nova Scotia to continue having a strong forest industry while maintaining thousands of jobs and reaping the economic benefits created by the industry. Other provinces would have worked 24/7 to ensure they didn’t end up in the situation we find ourselves in today. We all know the Liberals didn’t do their homework.

The six projects in the recently announced tender for wood chip burning are to use between 300 and 2,000 tonnes annually. That’s 1.71 per cent of the chips consumed by Northern Pulp – which paid top dollar – and common sense says this will not soften the blow.

It’s obvious the government has no plan for the forest industry and that they just don’t care.

The recently announced record budget by the Liberals, which is 51-percent higher than last year’s, is comical since Stephen Mcneil made Nova Scotia’s worst economic decision ever on Dec 20. Sincerely, Adam Samson Antigonish